Friedman wins Ken Donnelly's state Senate seat

Tuesday

Jul 25, 2017 at 9:37 PMJul 26, 2017 at 10:42 AM

Staff Reports

According to unofficial results, Cindy Friedman has won the race to represent residents of the 4th Middlesex Senate District in the Massachusetts state Senate with a landslide victory. The district covers Billerica, Arlington, Woburn and Burlington, and Precincts 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 in Lexington.

According to numbers reported by the Lexington, Arlington, Burlington, Woburn and Billerica town clerk offices, Friedman got 7,785 votes out of 8,833 ballots cast.

Friedman had faced off in the July 25 election against Ian Jackson of the Green-Rainbow Party. No Republican challenger emerged during the short special election campaign and no additional candidates won enough write-in votes during the June primary to participate in the general election. Jackson received 817 votes.

The special election was called earlier this year to replace the late state Sen. Ken Donnelly, D-Arlington, who died unexpectedly of brain cancer in April.

In the special state primary, Friedman captured the Democratic Party nomination after defeating state Rep. Sean Garballey, D-Arlington, and Mary Ann Stewart, a Lexington Democrat and a member of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Friedman 'overwhelmed'

At an election watch party party at Arlington's Common Ground restaurant, Friedman thanked her supporters and her husband.

"I am," she began her address to supporters.

"A senator," cried a voice in the crowd, to laughter from many in the room.

"I'm happy, I'm overwhelmed, I'm speechless," Friedman continued.

Friedman said her priorities as a state senator would be mental health and other healthcare issues, environmental issues and improving economic opportunities for Massachusetts residents.

Neither Jackson, nor representatives of his party returned requests for comment.

How vote broke down

Friedman carried Arlington with 3,991 votes, or 89.44 percent of the vote to Jackson's 332 votes. Turnout in Arlington was 14.49 percent.